Pete Ward R.I.P....

[Lipman 1]

Former Sox third baseman Pete Ward passed away last night at the age of 84 in Oregon because of complications with Alzheimer's Disease.

He was the co-Rookie of the Year in 1963 and was a big part of those great Sox teams of the 1960's.

Knew him well, was a guest at his house and saw his memorabilia.

Just a good man.

[KenBerryGrab]

Well said, Lip.

One of the first Sox I rooted for. I would blow on my hands like he did stepping into the batters box. RIP, Pete.

[Dumpjerry]

R.I.P.

[tebman]

Sad to hear. He was a favorite of mine on those strong mid-1960s teams. He was at SoxFest a few years ago and had a great time. I was able to talk to him briefly and let him know that I thought he was a better third baseman than my dad did. He laughed and said Al Lopez complained about him at third base too.

A nice guy who appreciated his life.

- tebman

[BigKlu59]

Rest In Peace Pete. He and Floyd Robinson were closest thing to mashers we had on those teams. I was Pete Ward on the sandlot and he was even more of a hero to me because he played ice hockey as well!!!

BK59

[LITTLE NELL]

A big favorite of mine, a big part of those 3 straight 90+ wins from 63 through 65.
A damn shame his career took a turn for the worse after sustaining a back and neck injury in an accident after a Blackhawk playoff game.

[LITTLE NELL]

Rest In Peace Pete. He and Floyd Robinson were closest thing to mashers we had on those teams. I was Pete Ward on the sandlot and he was even more of a hero to me because he played ice hockey as well!!!

BK59

Pete’s father Jimmy played for the old Montreal Maroons and the Canadiens, he also died at age 84.

[Lipman 1]

Every year when Idaho State played Portland State, I'd visit Pete, we'd grab a bite to eat or a beer. He had a lot of his White Sox memorabilia at his home including his 1968 home jersey which was framed.

Regarding his dad who played from 1927 through 1940, he had his dad's two team MVP trophies (which were really tall) in glass cases in his home. I hope Pete's family will hang on to those.

Pete's career was really impacted by an unfortunate accident after his terrific 1963 and 1964 seasons. This is from my interview with him:

ML: In April 1965 season you were involved in an accident that really changed your career. What happened that day and what did you hurt?

PW: "We were in Washington and got rained out so the team headed back to Chicago. I was able to get some tickets for the Blackhawks / Montreal Stanley Cup game so Tommy John, I and some other friends went to the Chicago Stadium. Afterwards as we were leaving, I was in the front seat on the right side and Tommy was in the back seat on the left when a car rear-ended us. At the time I didn’t think that much about it, it wasn’t really that hard of a hit but the next day I woke up with a stiff neck and was sore all over. I went to see a doctor and he told me I had a case of whiplash and it bothered me the rest of the year. It just caused a lot of problems for me. Tommy also had neck problems. (Author’s Note: Ward was reluctant to discuss this chapter of his career, not because he didn’t want to talk about it but because he was concerned that readers might think he was using the accident as an excuse. I assured Pete that this story would not be written in such a way as to give that impression. In a short interview with “Sports Illustrated” the story quoted Pete as saying about the accident, "I was never comfortable from that point on.")

[fungo bat]

He was part of one of the best trades the White Sox ever made. They gave up Aparicio and Al Smith in return for Ward, Dave (the ballpark fan, literally) Nicholson, Hoyt Wilhelm and Ron Hansen.

Yes, he was a rare power source for the hitting-starved Sox teams of the 60s. Pete Ward provided some much needed punch from the left side of the plate. Regarding the auto accident, he never seemed to fully recover from it. His offensive numbers dropped off, but he was still a dangerous threat in the lineup.

RIP Pete Ward.

[BigKlu59]

Every year when Idaho State played Portland State, I'd visit Pete, we'd grab a bite to eat or a beer. He had a lot of his White Sox memorabilia at his home including his 1968 home jersey which was framed.

Regarding his dad who played from 1927 through 1940, he had his dad's two team MVP trophies (which were really tall) in glass cases in his home. I hope Pete's family will hang on to those.

Pete's career was really impacted by an unfortunate accident after his terrific 1963 and 1964 seasons. This is from my interview with him:

ML: In April 1965 season you were involved in an accident that really changed your career. What happened that day and what did you hurt?

PW: "We were in Washington and got rained out so the team headed back to Chicago. I was able to get some tickets for the Blackhawks / Montreal Stanley Cup game so Tommy John, I and some other friends went to the Chicago Stadium. Afterwards as we were leaving, I was in the front seat on the right side and Tommy was in the back seat on the left when a car rear-ended us. At the time I didn’t think that much about it, it wasn’t really that hard of a hit but the next day I woke up with a stiff neck and was sore all over. I went to see a doctor and he told me I had a case of whiplash and it bothered me the rest of the year. It just caused a lot of problems for me. Tommy also had neck problems. (Author’s Note: Ward was reluctant to discuss this chapter of his career, not because he didn’t want to talk about it but because he was concerned that readers might think he was using the accident as an excuse. I assured Pete that this story would not be written in such a way as to give that impression. In a short interview with “Sports Illustrated” the story quoted Pete as saying about the accident, "I was never comfortable from that point on.")

Makes sense in hindsight. He was one hell of a player and that one off always frustrated my little head as to why the drop of with his numbers.

[Wsoxmike59]

RIP Pete. I remember him from my earliest days following the Sox on WFLD TV and my brother telling me he was our big bopper and clean up hitter, and learning what an airport old Comiskey Park was and hitting them out there was quite a different proposition (deep dimensions, frozen baseballs, cold winds off the lake) than it was across town at Wrigley. which made Pete’s and his successor at 3B Bill Melton’s accomplishments all the more impressive.

I can remember one of my friends joking and kidding when we were young men reminiscing about some of the ball players we remembered playing when we were kids. And he said remember arguing with Cub fans in school who bragged about power hitters Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo in their lineup and all we could counter with was Pete Ward. And he said it seemed each year Pete Ward would get off to a good start and be among the league leaders in HRs in May and June when school was letting out and then back to school in September and he’d have 18.

All kidding aside, we knew Pete was an accomplished Major League hitter, and the Sox strengths were pitching and defense. Pete was one of my first Sox heroes, along with Little Looie, Ken Berry, Walt Williams, Carlos May, Bill Melton, Gail Hopkins and Tom McCraw along with the dynamic pitching of Tommy John, Joel Horlen, Gary Peters and Wilbur Wood out of the Pen. I can still remember a fan hanging a banner over the RF wall that read….SHOOT ONE OUT HERE PISTOL PETE

[Lipman 1]

RIP Pete. I remember him from my earliest days following the Sox on WFLD TV and my brother telling me he was our big bopper and clean up hitter, and learning what an airport old Comiskey Park was and hitting them out there was quite a different proposition (deep dimensions, frozen baseballs, cold winds off the lake) than it was across town at Wrigley. which made Pete’s and his successor at 3B Bill Melton’s accomplishments all the more impressive.

I can remember one of my friends joking and kidding when we were young men reminiscing about some of the ball players we remembered playing when we were kids. And he said remember arguing with Cub fans in school who bragged about power hitters Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo in their lineup and all we could counter with was Pete Ward. And he said it seemed each year Pete Ward would get off to a good start and be among the league leaders in HRs in May and June when school was letting out and then back to school in September and he’d have 18.

All kidding aside, we knew Pete was an accomplished Major League hitter, and the Sox strengths were pitching and defense. Pete was one of my first Sox heroes, along with Little Looie, Ken Berry, Walt Williams, Carlos May, Bill Melton, Gail Hopkins and Tom McCraw along with the dynamic pitching of Tommy John, Joel Horlen, Gary Peters and Wilbur Wood out of the Pen. I can still remember a fan hanging a banner over the RF wall that read….SHOOT ONE OUT HERE PISTOL PETE

I've had some of his teammates tell me that if he played half of his games at Wrigley Field he'd have hit 40 home runs a season.

[BigKlu59]

I've had some of his teammates tell me that if he played half of his games at Wrigley Field he'd have hit 40 home runs a season.

If he played in the Bronx, 50….